Giles for President

So this morning I was pondering how countless service requirements at WF often get in the way of being a productive teacher and scholar. I told Annamae, "If I'm ever the president of a University, I'm going to implement a low service policy." She started laughing and said I needed to repeat that sentence while looking at myself in a mirror. The picture above is what I look like this morning! 

Challenger

On this day in 1986, at 11:38am the much anticipated Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. As a 15-year old high school sophomore I'll never forget the excitement that surrounded this particular event. The fact that Christa McAuliffe, a 37-year old social studies teacher, would become the first civilian to fly into space made it relevant for students and teachers alike. At this point in the space program children could only dream of becoming astronauts. By the time you were my age you realized that being an astronaut was only for the elite. But if civilians could fly into space then the sky was no longer the limit, so to speak. I remember teachers rolling TV's into classrooms so everyone could witness this historic moment. I also remember the shock waves that reverberated around the country when a mere 73 seconds later the shuttle exploded, killing Christa and all the astronauts on board. It was a chilling moment and stark reminder that there was nothing safe about traveling to the heavens. It also made the word "o-ring" a household name. So in dedication to the Space program, Christa, and all the others who have literally given their lives for science I move onto the notes . . .

--Today is shaping up to be a good Friday. We promised the kids that we would visit a cafe after they got out of school; Aiden is looking forward to getting his Bionical as payment for sticking out 2 weeks of school. I know most of you probably think it is bad parenting to bribe your children to do something that they should otherwise do. But I'm an ocean away from you and really do not care what you think. OK. I do care. But desperate times call for desperate measures-- you need to walk in my shoes before you . . . take the plank out of your own eye before you take the one out of mine . . . and so on.

--I believe all of the students managed to get to the train this morning for their trip to Hungary. I just checked the upstairs and other than the usual mess it seemed quite empty. Some students were up at 3am so my guess is they decided it would be easier to stay up all night than to go to sleep and to awake at reasonable hours. Oh to be young. Annamae and I are planning a trip to Budapest some time in the near future. I hear the Turkish baths are amazing. I love me a Turkish bath with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy!

--Speaking of Hungary, I am perplexed by the fact that I continue to seemingly gain weight. I really cannot explain this other than to say it must be genetic. I mean, I start the day with a few cups of coffee and low fat cereal with soy milk. One thing that makes the coffee really good is to put Caffe Milch in it. It has 6.5g of fat per 100g serving, whatever that means. The bread here is so fresh that it must be healthy for you. Because it doesn't have preservatives you pretty much have to eat the whole thing in a day. The chocolate really cannot be that bad for you, either, because it comes in these small little packages. You really cannot get a taste for it with your first 3 pieces but by the 4th piece--YUM. Anyway, with my weight gain I am slowly giving up my dream of wearing a pair of black Euro skinny jeans. And I would have looked so smart on our trip to Spain.
-- With the students out of the house the Giles family is planning to PARTY! We mentioned this to the students and they just snortled in that condescending, "you don't know how to party" kind of way. They apparently do not know the Giles family! I know it sounds crazy, but we may cook dinner in THEIR kitchen, watch a movie on THEIR common floor, and . . . wait for it . . . blast Vivaldi on the iPod stereo! This beats a game of beer pong on any day of the week, except maybe Thursday. Beer pong on Thursday's seems like it would be fun.

--Clarity. Simplicity. These are two adjectives that best describe my experience to date. I've found that I am able to work with great focus on a couple of goals, like preparing for class and finishing a couple of papers. Annamae and I are both finding that everything here seems much simpler than our lives in Winston-Salem. We only have a suitcase worth of clothes, which means laundry never really can pile up. With public transportation you have simple goals for each day, like getting a few groceries from the Spar (see chocolate, wine, and bread) or visiting a shop/cafe. Everything seems to be slowing down, priorities seem to be coming into focus, and our stress level is at an all-time low. Hanging out with people is not a burden or something you schedule, it is a natural way of life. I would love to bottle this and bring it home, but it is probably healthier just to accept this trip as a sabbatical rather than a new way of life. Besides, the airport would probably confiscate our bottle of serenity because it would be deemed unsafe for travel. But if I could just cut down on committee work and advising I know that I could actually get really important things accomplished. If not, then I think WF should adopt the Austrians' view on alcohol in the workplace. Kidding. Sort of.

To all of our faithful followers (you both know who you are), we wish you a grand weekend. Keep checking back as we will continue to post pictures and report on our latest adventures. I never assume that our life is that interesting to others, but we will keep writing nonetheless.

School Update

Last week I posted an entry about the kids' school experience. I wanted to take a few moments to provide a brief update.

Lillian and Aiden have each experienced ups and downs in regards to their new school. One day after Lillian triumphantly walked through the doors of the Cottage-gasse school she was crying about how hard everything was. She felt that her teacher yelled at her during one lesson, and she was struggling to understand other kids. But she quickly rebounded and seems to have settled back in. I tried to counsel her by saying that since she didn't know what the teacher was saying she really couldn't know if the teacher was upset with her. Indeed, nonverbal expressions can vary quite dramatically across cultures and without a verbal context can be difficult to decipher. My advice to Lillian was to perform a "validity anger test." I said that the next time she felt her teacher was yelling at her she should casually close all of her fingers into a fist, turn the back of her hand toward the teacher, and then slowly raise her middle finger. If her teacher understood this symbol then Lillian would get to see what the teacher really looked like when she was angry. OK, I didn't tell her that but you must admit that it would be a really cool cross cultural experiment.

Aiden has also rebounded after a couple of days of near meltdowns. On one particular morning he refused to get his shoes on. He staunchly declared he was not going to school. He didn't like school and was not going back and that was all there was to it. I tried to the best of my capacity to issue gentle fatherly advice about how things would get better, how Joseph was courageous when sold into slavery, yada yada. That got me absolutely nowhere so I decided to play hardball. "Aiden!" I intoned. "If you don't get your shoes on right now and go to school then you will have no iPod for the rest of our trip." The "p" on "trip" had barely formed on my lips when he shouted, "NO! NOT THE iPOD!" (my students said my impersonation of this sounded like the gingerbread boy in the Shrek movie who yelled, "No, not the gum drop buttons" or something like that). I felt bad that I had to hit him below the belt, but he went to school and came home in a fine mood. His biggest concern at present is that a bunch of girls tease him by making kissing noises and saying, "marry, marry." I told him that the girls think he's cute and they are flirting with him. I advised him that he should not allow them to isolate him in a deserted area of the school grounds since girls have cooties. But (I said) if they are the daughters of any of the ambassadors that live in the neighborhood he should gladly accept and invitation for his family to join her family for dinner.

Lillian gets to go skating tomorrow with her class. I'm sure she will post on that later. Until next time . . . hugs and kisses.

A meaningful encounter.....

After taking Matthew on a "date" in a little cafe just off the 40A busline today and eating a "tornado potato", cappacino, chocolate cake, french fries, and chicken nuggets we began to make our way home. While we were sitting on the bench waiting for the bus a well dressed, older gentleman approached. I quickly told Matthew to hop up and we would wait standing to give him our spot. He was shorter than me with a kind face. I have a tendency to smile and say "hello" to people, a sentiment that is not often returned here. Today this man approached me, he came close and said in German "you can have the bench", I said the usual, "that's okay, sorry I don't speak German." Then this sweet man engaged me. He asked me in German/English is Matthew was a boy or girl, and his age which Matthew answered in German. He regarded Matthew thoughtfully and then asked me "Are you Americans?" I told him yes, then he put out his hands in a position to indicate his hands in handcuffs and said, "I was a prisoner in America for 5 years, 1 in Alabama, and 4 in South Carolina." (honestly I had no clue that we brought German soldiers to the US for prison). He said he was captured in 1943 when he was 19 years old in Austria when the Americans came. The bus pulled up and we started quickly walking to catch it, as he stepped away from me he said quickly, "I love America" or "I love Americans", I couldn't catch exaclty the wording. I couldn't get to him on the bus a woman was standing in front of him but I wanted to know more. I prayed that we would be getting off that the same stop. Then I realized he was getting off at the U bahn stop and I was still on the bus. The bus sat parked for a moment and he scanned each window until he found Matthew and me, he waved at each of us individually making sure that Matthew saw him and looked into his eye. Then he tipped his hat, kept it tipped until we pulled away and stood waving at me until the bus was out of sight.

Today is one of those times I wish I were an eloquent writer who could somehow convey how I felt after an encounter with this Viennese man today. All I can do is try to tell the story. It is an experience that prompts me to want to read more, understand history more, and be ready more often to hear someone's story. Through my social work in the VA, Hospice and healthcare I have encountered countless American veterans. I Love veterans and am related to veterans currently serving and those who served the generations that proceeded mine. I have met people from Czech who have been affected by displacement in WWII, I have watched countless history episodes on the History Channel but today was the first time I met a veteran in the German Army. I regret more than anything not jumping off the bus and finding out the rest of the story...

Yummy

Just a funny quote of the day from Matthew. When you are in a new country you say things you would never say at home. I went to the grocery store today and when the older kids came home from school Matthew says, "guess what kind of chocolate Mom got TODAY?!?".

Another crazy thing about today is that I got a new phone and it was way easier to let Lillian set it up than figure it out myself. That is a sign of age or something!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Back to School

This week has been characterized by a "back to school" theme. I began teaching on Monday and Lillian and Aiden started at the local public school on Wednesday (pic above is on our landing before heading to school). On to a few notes: 

·      * I've been very pleased with the transition my students have made from party-going tourist to serious student during this week. I set some very high expectations for them, not just for academic performance but also for professional commitment to their own learning. Thus far, they have more than risen to the occasion.  In one of my classes we are discussing moral theory and health ethics. Our class yesterday was very spirited, and my challenge will be to create a framework for healthy discussion rather than Jerry Springer shenanigans.

·      * We had 3 students and the RA to dinner last night. We have planned weekly meals with 3-4 students each Weds night. If the rest of the dinners are like last night's gathering, then this will be a very fruitful semester. Annamae and I are learning a great deal about the students, and they have seemed interested in getting to know us better. I'm always surprised when 19 year olds express interest in hanging out with "old" people with kids. I tend to envy their independence and they seem to envy our community. I hope this continues because it really is the aspect of teaching that gives me the most satisfaction.

·     *  We found spots for Lillian and Aiden at the public school that is about 5 blocks away (a 9-minute walk). Aiden was very apprehensive about going. He tends to have a lower fear threshold, but once he breaks through he is really quite courageous and amazing. Yesterday was no different. He didn't want to go to school. Once there he didn't want to stay. The teacher very strategically said that he could just sit with his parents and watch the kids in gym class. Once he realized that the kids were all very sweet and normal, and once Annamae sweetened the deal by throwing in a chocolate Kinder Egg to go along with the Hero Factory set he would get for staying in school for two weeks, he decided to follow the class to their next period. This morning he woke up and couldn't wait to get to school. That is my Aiden. He needs some pushing to get out of his comfort zone, but once he's there he does not turn back. And he is just so darn cute. I learned yesterday that flirting has a universal language; little girls were vying for Aiden's attention!

·     *  Lillian was a different story. Indeed, the main impetus for our putting the kids in school was the fact that Lillian desperately wanted to go. Well, this is coupled with the fact that after two weeks together in our apartment we were becoming an in-grown family. Aiden and Matthew together was a volatile mix: 3 parts foolishness, 2 parts testosterone, and 1 part mischievousness and you get the picture. And Lillian was also a contributing factor, so you can throw in a little estrogen and control-demand tendencies. School was not so much an option as it was a necessity. Anyway, back to Lillian. When we visited her classroom she walked right in, was introduced by the teacher, and just grabbed a seat. She was almost AGGRESSIVE in pursuing this opportunity. I stood behind her and couldn't help but feel that I was watching my daughter grow up right in front of my eyes! The hard part for me wasn't sending our daughter to her first school as much as realizing that it was time to let a part of her go. I was both extremely proud and undeniably melancholic. I guess all parents cross this bridge at some point in their lives.  I just thought my life had a little more time before I got here.

·      * The school is quite a contrast to the schools I've visited in the U.S. First, kids are not allowed to wear shoes in the school. Upon entering the school they put on house shoes. The principle said our kids could just buy some "cheap" ones from the shoe store. They were 30 euros! The kids then keep the slippers in a little bag at school. Second, the kids are very well behaved. The teachers I observed never raised their voices above a normal conversational tone. This has the effect of forcing listeners to be very quiet so they can hear. We have actually found our kids have become less loud and boisterous, especially on buses and trains. They are no less happy; rather, they have accommodated to the noise of their environment. Third, Annamae described buying school supplies as a combination of what life was like when we were kids and a Harry Potter wand shop experience. You basically go to the school supply store, bring your list, and the person starts filling your basket. You don't find a Walmart or Target and stock up on supplies. Most places are mom and pop shops. I actually REALLY like this. Finally, and perhaps most bizarrely, the kids do not change into gym clothes in a separate locker room. The boys and girls stand in a room just outside the gym and strip down to their undies. They have a little gym bag with shorts and t-shirt that they put on (no shoes) and hit the gym floor. The girls and boys seemed to have no reservations about being nearly naked in front of each other, and they really took no notice of anyone else. After school little boys could be observed walking hand-in-hand down the street. Neither of these examples has sexual connotations. Rather, it is just a difference in gender roles that are formed from an early age.

·      * My last note for what is becoming a very long blog entry is that we are still looking for a Kindergarten for Matthew. He is very sweet when you get him alone, but he also spends most of the day either asking for chocolate or when Aiden will be home. Unfortunately, private Kindergarten's are very expensive (like 400 euros a month!). I love my son, but not enough to go into debt so he can be a little less bothersome or bored.

·      We hope you all are well!

--
Steven M. Giles, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Communication

Wake Forest University

310 Carswell Hall

Winston-Salem, NC 27109

336.758.4442

336.758.4691 (fax)

Bits and Bites! Some of our favorite yummies!

So as many of you who know me know, I like to eat! I like good food and I like different food. We have forgone the rules of our recent diet changes to be able to enjoy the riches of this new place. With strict food guidelines and individual personal convictions about food here in Vienna, we have been told and believe strongly that we are eating quality products when we partake of meat, cheeses, and local street vendors. It is fun to shop at the grocery and buy something you have no idea what it will taste like but take the plunge anyway. One of the great and fantastic finds we have made is this brand of bread (see picture), when you slice off a hunk and give it to your kids and hear "this tastes like pound cake" you know you have found a winner! In addition to the loaf tasting like pound cake the sandwich bread of this same brand follows suit and does a 6 rotation dive into my frying pan when I make french toast with it. I never had imagined french toast made out of pound cake, but seriously I am game now! Also of enjoyment to my kids is this carbonated apple drink (see picture)! IF you look at the picture closely AFTER your kids have guzzled half a bottle you might have a bit of a start as I did and think you just served them some sweet form of beer. IF this happens to you can can find the english description here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almdudler. Another food I have yet to see in USA, but maybe I wasn't looking, but I know for sure I NEVER bought it by accident is pasta sauce with a jalepano on the label. This is quite surprising if you notice the jalepano on the label as you are bolting to the kitchen to drink the water! The WATER!!!! OMGoodness it is AMAZING! Truly out of this world, out of the alps really, but wowza, right out of the tap pure sweet refreshment. I don't want to drink water from any other source...which by the way you barely can. I have seen 2 bottles of water since arriving in Vienna. 2 that's right. No one carries bottles of water around, they are not for sale in the store in packs of 24 and there are not coolers with 100 different kinds of drinks and waters for sale anywhere I have been. Every single place of business and person seems to be fully committed to the idea of conservation and recycling, I LOVE that. Happy Eating!